A Not-Too-Serious Zine for Music & Art

Month: September 2016

One of my greatest inspirations is Kwon Jiyong/G-Dragon the frontman of the South Korean boyband BigBang. He’s a rapper who writes and produce the majority of the band’s music as well as conceptualizing their music videos, and he’s also really into fashion and visual art! The ways he inspires me are endless; his androgynous sense of style has helped me come to terms with my gender dysphoria, the visuals in his music videos have influenced the imagery in my own work and his general philosophy/approach to life really helps me to get up everyday and keep creating.

As somebody who has never been to a music festival in the dead of summer, I can’t even begin to imagine what it feels like to dance my heart out in the middle of the desert. However, what I can imagine is being on a road trip in August with a handful of friends on a foggy 90-degree day, safe from heatstroke in the car with the AC on all the way. Oh, and with the sunset just in front of us – you know, like when the sky turns that perfect shade of pink, red, and orange? Or a few hours later, when it’s dark out, the stars are all out full on display, and the wind gets cold? There are songs out there that remind me of those exact moments. The music you listen to in the summer seems to stick with you a million times more than any other time of the year, but none of us have the exact same feeling when we listen to it. That was my main inspiration for this shoot. Songs like “Dragging Your Feet In The Mud” and “From A Tire Swing” by Lydia… It’s impossible to put into images or words what your exact feelings are, but here’s my take.

Fuji Rock is a music festival that doubles as a nature retreat. As a Californian that rarely sees lawns and lives that #droughtlife, I was in constant amazement at the lush green that is abundant on the ski resort that the festival takes place at. We spent our time accidentally hiking, eating squid on a stick, and rocking out, generally, and lucky for you I documented the whoooole thing.

I recently had the opportunity to see one of my favorite bands, The Julie Ruin, at one of my very favorite venues, The Masquerade. Sadly, The Masquerade is on its way out (a loud HISS at the soul suckers who wanna gut it), but they gave us one last hurrah by way of Wrecking Ball fest. I couldn’t have been happier to ~cheers~ to the venue I’ve grown up in by watching TJR play a killer set on the mainstage- I’m in love with their new album, Hit Reset, and was absolutely giddy throughout the entire performance. Highlights included: Kathleen’s intro for “Be Nice” (similar story here, at 3:30), “Mr. So and So“, a cover of Courtney Barnett’s “Pedestrian at Best” that made me wanna weep ’cause I LOVE THAT SONG, and obviously Kenny Mellman’s amazingLisa Frank tee shirt.

Here are a few of my painted film photos from their set (and a couple of other Wrecking Ball festivities). Continue reading →

Since the inception of Sonic Blume, we’ve had the pleasure of working with California-based psych rock band, Psychic Wave. We’ve premiered their music video for the killer song, “Fight Back”, and Drew (P. W.’s lead singer) has created some amazingwork for us too! All in all, we’re mad inspired by their vibey, psychedelic music and love having them onboard- from creating not only music, but also visual art including a clothing line, they’re total creative masterminds- and we think you should be too. Without further adieu, here’s Sonic Blume and Psychic Wave’s very first collaboration, featuring photos and an interview by the talented Sam Hsu.

Have you ever wanted to make a playlist for the world to enjoy but didn’t know where to begin? Well, in three easy steps you can *master* the art of playlists. Don’t worry, your girl Jo (me!) has your back.

In the mid to late 1960s and 1970s, Los Angeles, California was home to a plethora of budding new bands. Arguably the most popular LA-grown band at the time was The Doors, made up of Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore. The Doors frequented the Sunset Strip hotspot, the Whiskey A Go Go, often performing as the venue’s house band. On May 23, 1966 they began their legendary run at the Whiskey, opening for every group to play there until August 21, 1966. This where they ultimately rose to fame. Although The Doors were only a band for 8 years, ending in response to Jim Morrison’s tragic death at age 27, they were nonetheless one of the most iconic bands to come out of Los Angeles. With their psychedelic, bluesy sound and Jim Morrison’s croony yet rough voice, The Doors paved the way for the next generations of bands. The Doors reigned over LA for those 8 glorious years and their presence will never be forgotten.

Since age 4 or 5, I’ve been obsessed with hair. I have vivid memories of pointing out strangers with technicolor locks to my parents and telling them, I’m going to have that hair one day. Throughout the years, this obsession has taken a number of forms: spending a Barnes & Noble gift card from my 7th birthday on a book that instructed me to paint pigmented mascara on each of my strands, buying a platinum blonde Hannah Montana wig at age 9, taking photos upon photos of emo haircuts to my hairdresser to replicate on my poor head at age 13, and religiously flat ironing it ever morning at age 14. I’ve always been fascinated by people with cool hair, especially when it’s rainbow-hued, and this fascination met its match when I found out about the band Paramore.

I first happened upon the film Amelie a few years back while browsing through Netflix, and everything about the movie had me entranced. The storyline is enchanting and the color palette is totally Wes Anderson-esque, making it even more incredible. Basically, I couldn’t get enough of it. I made all my friends watch it, and even forced my dad to sit through it one night; since then, Amelie has taken a comfortable spot in my list of favorite movies. This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to spend some time in the stunning city of Paris, and I managed to fall in love with the place in only three days. Since then all of my inspiration has come from my short visit to the city of light. I rewatched Amelie recently, and after being in the setting of the film, I knew I had to create something inspired by it. So, I put together a few songs that embrace and reflect the feeling of Amelie and Paris itself. Enjoy!

I’ll be frank- I’m usually pretty guarded. I’m careful to always prioritize protecting my heart and using my mind in all scenarios. But this summer, I learned that you can try to put up walls, but one day, someone will come along and tear them down. Whether a friend or a romance, you’ll connect with an individual on a deep level, even if you thought it was absolutely impossible. For whatever reason, you won’t worry about what you say or how you say it or what you feel. This person will pick at your scabbed heart and will appreciate your beautiful rawness under the scar tissue. And they’ll love you. Perhaps without even realizing it, you’ll be shamelessly open. You’ll live again. And I promise it will be equally exciting as it is terrifying. I cherry picked some songs that to me, capture this feeling of a connectivity I, and maybe you, had previously never known. This summer and this person have taught me that the key to happiness is the willingness to be vulnerable. So put yourself out there and let people in, cautious kids. It will be worth it.